Production Log: Research Follow-Up

Research Follow-up: First, reflect on the plan you made for your last entry. Was it the most effective way to go about collecting information? What could have been done better? What assumptions did you make when creating your research plan? What additional steps could be taken to generate a more comprehensive understanding of the subject? Second, suggest three specific people you think should be in the documentary (this may require additional research). Make sure you give good reasons. (Are they particularly knowledgeable about, or personally affected by, the subject? Might they confound the viewer’s expectations and help us to rethink the subject? Etc.)

I think that the most effective way to go about this documentary would be through interviews. Interviews, while they do not take too long, are able to delve sufficiently deep enough into a topic, and allow for the display of many points of view. If we were to interview two to three people from every 'main' stereotype (i.e. 'geek', 'jock', 'loner', etc.), each person being from a differnet sect of that group (for example, 'band geek' versus 'computer nerd', etc.), we would have a very wide range of people, opinions, and lifestyles. Interviews would allow us to find out how different the social groupings are, how ethnicity ties into it, and how different social groups / ethnicities within Punahou feel about each other.

More difficult to decide, however, is how to orchestrate these interviews. They need to be organized and coherent (two things that most high school students are not, unfortunately). One suggestion made in class is that we interview a person from every hang-out spot. Another idea was to go by class, from Freshmen to Seniors. While I agree that hang-out spots and seniority should be covered in the documentary, neither is the necessarily the easiest most efficient way to go about the documentary. As I mentioned in the above paragraph, we might want to do it by stereotype: interview people who are 'known' to be geeky, into sports, etc., or simply people who are in those groups and feel passionate about them. We could then delve into issues dealing with who hangs out with who and where, and how interests / ethnicity / seniority ties into that. Interviewing teachers is also a good way of getting information-- teachers, obviously, know a lot about their students, and many have seen generations of them go by. Deans, counselors, parents, and teachers could provide insights that we, as students, may not be able to see.

As for who specifically should be interviewed... for interviewing students, I think it is a bit too early to decide. As for teachers and other adults, I think that about one Dean for each high school class should be interviewed, as well as an assortment of teachers (one from the Psychology department would be especially good). Parents of different ethnicities and cultures would be another interesting set of contrasts, as would parents of freshmen versus parents of seniors. So, more specifically, here is a list of people I think should be interviewed:

-Dr. Fletcher and / or Dean Herzer
-Rick Tune or another prominent member of the Psychology department
-Dr. Conway
-an assortment of parents, teachers, and Deans from other classes

'Paris is Burning'

Discuss drag and / or drag balls from three of the different perspectives represented in Paris is Burning. What is the most important part of drag for each? What connects all of them (if anything)?

To some people, Drag Balls were a way to have the life they’ve always wanted: in a Drag Ball, they could be rich, famous, glamorous, and beautiful. Drag Balls would allow people to live their dreams for a precious amount of time—they offered a temporary escape from homelessness, hunger, and humiliation.

For others, Drag Balls and Houses were also a kind of escape. For those whose family and friends had rejected them, Drag Houses were a welcoming community where they could have a new, accepting family, and be openly gay in a completely comfortable environment. They would be able to live with people like themselves, and be happy.

Some people had higher aims—many had dreams of going on to be models, getting sex changes, and actually living the life they dreamed of. For them, Drag Balls were a kind of practice or training, and Drag Houses a safe and welcoming place to be while they worked to achieve their dreams.

For all of these people, Drag Houses were an escape from reality. They offered a place where gays were the norm, where anyone would be accepted, welcomed, and loved. It is no surprise that Drag Houses were as popular as they were—they were a much-preferable alternative to those who in the ‘real world’ would be victims of prejudice, judgment, and hate crimes. To those who needed them, Drag Houses meant hope.

On Graduation

A friend and classmate of mine recently brought up the question ‘What was the most important moment of your life?’ The first idea that came to me was when I got into my school - the school I am at now - in the fifth grade. Before coming here, I had gone to a public school near my home that went from excellent to terrible as I moved through Kindergarten to the fourth grade. Since leaving, my friends who continued to sixth grade told me about the terrible teachers and delinquent students. I was lucky to get into this school when I did—really, I was lucky to get in at all.

However, I didn’t realize this at the time. I was still fiercely loyal to my old school—despite a terrible and depressing fourth grade year—and I was determined to hate my new school. But over that first year, I made friends, joined clubs, and began to come out of my shell. I had always been a very shy person, but I began to open up. And slowly, this school became my favorite place in the world. This school has shaped and changed me, and is an enormous part of who I am. I am no longer the shy little girl who would sneak her book to the playground with her so that she could hide and read. I’ve become much more outgoing and open, and much happier with who I am. Five years ago, I cried countless times ever week. Now I laugh every day. And as I have come into my own, I have come to love my school. I love it for its great academics, beautiful campus, enormous variety of extra-curricular opportunities, caring teachers, and for my wonderful friends who are students here. I love it for its stupid school cheer, for its Hala tree napkins, for its biodegradable forks that people eat on dares every now and then. I love getting to school early and walking up to the Science Center, hearing my friends laughing and talking upstairs and knowing that soon I'll be joining them. I love the beautiful old buildings, the lily pond, the aunties at the snack bar, the marching band and football games... I love everything about this school, from Rocky Hill to the baseball field.

Many people have said that they never appreciated their youth until it was over—but for me, I know that this is the best time of my life. I’m fully aware that I am incredibly lucky to have the experiences that I am having—but I am also fully aware that it is going by fast. And I feel that after this, nothing could possibly measure up.

I dread going to college. I’m not afraid of the academics, and I’m not worried about not being able to find friends—I’m worried that I can’t possibly love college as much as I love high school. Already, I have a bias against my future college. Already I’m convinced that my school cannot be surpassed, that nothing can or will be as good as this. And though I’m just a Sophomore, I’m already terrified of the idea of graduation. This year, some of my friends will graduate, and next year, almost half of them will. And then the year after that—2010— my friends and I will be scattered across the nation, and we may—we probably will—lose touch. I am afraid that I will be alone in a place where the teachers don’t care, where I’ll freeze to death in the winter, and where for four years all I will be able to do is look back wistfully at my high school days and wish I were 14 again.

I’m not convinced that this will happen—it is, after all, possible for college to be as wonderful as high school—but that does not stop me from being afraid of it. For me, college could mean the end of the best time of my life, and the beginning of my introduction to the real world—which, so far, does not seem like a very friendly place.

…Maybe I’ll just come back and teach here.

Production Log: Brainstorming

Write a short paragraph outlining the essential questions you want the documentary to address, the target audience, and the desired response. Use the rest of your entry to collate a list of preliminary research questions, along with a strategy for answering them. (In other words, in order to make this documentary successful, what do you need to know about and how are you going to go about getting that information?)

The documentary topic chosen by our class is stereotypes within and about Punahou, with emphasis on social groupings and ethnicity. Overall, the documentary would address questions such as ‘Why are stereotypes used?’ and ‘What kind of stereotypes are used especially in high school, and how do they affect those that use them and those that they apply to?’

The documentary would target Punahou high school students, because it would be all about them. I think that interviews would be the best source of information, because they will gather a wide range of opinions and views: from Punahou students, staff, teachers, and parents, to those who dislike Punahou, and perhaps a specialist who knows a great deal about ethnic and social stereotypes.

Some more specific questions that should be asked in this documentary include ‘What is the image of the stereotypical Punahou student, and where did this image come from?’ ‘How do Punahou students feel about being stereotyped?’ ‘What kind of stereotypes are most commonly used within Punahou?’ ‘How do social groupings affect who dates and hangs out with who?’ ‘What social groupings are considered cool, and which are not? Why?’ ‘How does ethnicity tie into social groupings?’ ‘How do Punahou students feel about various ethnicities?’ ‘How are ethnic stereotypes used in Punahou (i.e. as jokes, as bullying, etc.)?’ and ‘What kinds of stereotypes—ethnic or social— are considered too extreme or ‘off-limits’ in Punahou and Hawaii (i.e. religious discrimination, racial biases, etc.)?’.

Documentary Topic: Suggestion and Points of View

Documentary

Topic Suggestion: Stereotypes (About and within Punahou)

First point of view: Stereotypes are extremely relevant in life: racism, sexism, and other prejudices are all based in them. But stereotypes and groupings are especially frequent in high schools. People are defined as jocks, geeks, sluts, and so on, and it is very common to have a negative impression of a peer before speaking to—or even meeting—them. At Punahou, stereotypes are especially prevalent because of how people view Punahou students. The image of the stereotypical spoiled, rich, snobby Punahou student is wide-spread and has affected most, if not all, of us. Most stereotypes are negative, and as such, have a very negative effect on those they are focused on. Everyone has experienced what it feels like to be stereotyped—whether it is a joke about race, or your car being keyed because of the Punahou bumper sticker on the back. Stereotypes and generalities can be very harmful, and should be avoided.

Second point of view: In Hawaii, stereotypes don’t really exist. We don’t have problems with racism, hate crimes, or sexism, and this is a direct result of the fact that stereotypes—in Hawaii, at least—aren’t around anymore. Obviously, some people still hold prejudices, but for the most part, stereotyping has died out.

Third point of view: All stereotypes are based in fact, and are therefore generally accurate. If you pay attention to stereotypes, you’ll be safer than people who don’t. You’ll know—just by looking at someone—if they’re dangerous, weak, smart, rich, and so on. Knowing stereotypes can really help you decide who to talk to and how to talk to them.


There perspectives are all relevant to the documentary because they represent three very different kinds of thinking. Without each of them (and others not represented here), the documentary would be incomplete, and possibly biased. Different perspectives also bring up the question of how people with different ways of thinking (i.e., the person who believes stereotypes are good and the person who believes that stereotypes are bad) would interact with each other in regards to the topic of stereotypes. Would people with different views on stereotypes be able to get along? Would they be able to come to an agreement about stereotypes, and differences between people? There points and questions could also be explored in the documentary.